Apparatus for deep fat cooking



oct. 2, 1951 H. T. HUNTER APPARATUS FOR DEEP FAT COOKING 5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed April l5, 1948 ATTORN EYS ocnz, 1951 -H,T,HUNTER 2,570,127

APPARATUS FOR DEEP FAT COOKING Filed April 13, 1948 ,3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS Oct. 2, 1951 H. T. HUNTER APPARATUS POR DEEP PAT COOKING 70 MM MY o v e m. WMVAAAAIANAWLA. u? w .A @v vv Patented ct. 2, 1.951

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR DEEP FAT COOKING Herbert Thomas Hunter, Baltimore, Md., assignor to Doughnut Corporation of America, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application April 13, 1948, Serial No. 20,675

6 Claims. (Cl. 99-352) The present invention relates generally to the deep fat cooking of foods, and in particular it relates to the deep fat cooking of yeast-raised doughnuts or similar comestibles.

The purpose or object of the present invention, broadly expressed, is the provision of an apparatus for forming the raw yeast-containing doughnuts, proofing them, and thereafter frying the same, all in the one apparatus. Machines for this purpose have been known in the past but have never been commercially practical or acceptable. There are presently available machines which form, proof and fry doughnuts, yeastraised and otherwise, and the present invention does not involve these per se, except as part of the apparatus as a whole wherein the doughnut rings are formed, proofed and then delivered to the frying chamber for final treatment.

A specific object of the present invention relates to the method and apparatus of handling and delivering the proofed doughnuts to the fry ing chamber, wherein the direction of movement of the doughnuts is reversed.

Another specific object of the present invention is the provision of air blast means to shift the proofed doughnuts into the path of the conveyors in the frying vat.

Other objects of the present invention will in part be obvious from the following description of an illustrative embodiment, and in part specifically pointed out hereinafter.

In the drawings annexed hereto, forming a part hereof,

Figure 1 is an end elevational view of the raw doughnut forming devices;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational View of the doughnut forming mechanism, including a portion of the proofing chamber and the transfer mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational View of the proofing chamber and transport mechanism therewithin; and

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the frying chamber, illustrating the transfer mechanism in relation thereto.

The apparatus of the present invention comprises a doughnut cutter mechanism indicated generally by reference numeral I0, a transfer and transport mechanism indicated generally by reference numeral I2, a proofing chamber I4, and a frying kettle I6.

The cutter mechanism I0, which forms the raw doughnut shapes, comprises, as shown-,in Figs.

1 and 2, a number of raw mix containers 20, 20, having cutting sleeves 22, 22 at the bottom shapes will be formed and dropped from sleeve 22 at one time.

A pair of toothed drive wheels 28, 28 at opposite ends of a shaft 30, are mounted within frame 26, rearwardly of and below the sleeves 22, 22.

A pair of linked endless belts 50, 50 are supported'- and carried by drivers 28, 28 as will be describe in more detail below.

A plurality of carrier shelves or trays 52, 52 are munted on belts 50, 50, depending therefrom by means of short side plates 54, 54, which are so connected to chains 50, 50 as to permit shelves 52, 52 to swing freely about the points of connection. The simultaneous movement of chains 50, 50 is so synchronized with the operation of the outter sleeves 22, 22 as to bring a carrier shelf 52 below and in vertical alignment with the cutter sleeves when the raw doughnut forms are delivered therefrom.

Adjacent the cutter mechanism I0, and in communication therewith, is mounted the proofing chamber I4. This comprises a large chamber BIJ, which may be formed of thin, light gauge metallic sheets or otherwise, mounted on a support indi' cated at 62. The width of chamber is such as to accommodate carrier shelves 52, 52 therewithin; the height and length depend on the'nature of the commodity to be processed.

Those mixes containing yeast must be proofed prior to frying or heat treating; that is, the yeast must be given an opportunity to ferment and bloom within the raw article. This proofing, of

necessity, requires a certain amount of time, and

this time is occupied by the movement of the raw doughnut forms in a proofer, as I4, 'between formation and frying. trays 52, 52 are supported on chains 50, 50 from frame 26 into the entrance side of chamber 60,

at the bottom thereof, as at 64 (Fig. 3) and thence 1 vertically upward, around idler rollers 66, 66, near the roof of chamber 60, thence downwardly and upwardly about idler rollers 68, 68 near the floor of the chamber, thence upwardly and over idlers 10. 10, following the course of the arrows. Means are provided, as indicated at 12 to raise or lower certain of the idlers as 66, 66,- to compensate for any slack or looseness in chains 50, 50.

The carrier shelves or Chamber 6D is completely sealed, except at the entrance 64 at one end, and at the exit or discharge opposite end T4 thereof. Access may be provided to the interior of chamber 60, as by doors 92, 92 for needed repairs or adjustments. Itis to be noted that the discharge .end 14 of chamber 60 is formed by a recess in the lower portion of the chamber, or a cut-out therefrom (see Fig. 3). The frying mechanism I5 is `so formed as to t into this cut-out or recessed portion of chamber 60.

At the exit end of chamber 60 the last reach 16 of chains 5B, 5@ is downward v(see right-hand side of Fig. 3) to a pair of driver -rollers 18, VI8 disposed closely adjacent the edge `8l! of the exit opening, and around said rollers. The carrier shelves 52, 52 hanging from the endless chains D, 5B thus depend well into the tray 82 component of fryer I6. The operation at this point will be described in detail below.

vChains 55 50 after passing vover rollers '1.8, lfare Adirected upwardly Yand rearwardly toa pair of ,idlers 84, 84 within rchamber 60, thence vertically downward to another pair of drive rollers 86, 86 and thence horizontally along the floor of cham-ber 60 throughl opening 64 into housing 26 about Adrivers 28 23. The reverse, upwardly-angled path of travel of belts 5B, 55 betweenvrollers 181, A18 and L84, 84 is provided in order'to drain the carrier shelves or trays 52, 52 ofthe frying oil in which the carrier shelves are immersed as they depend from the belts passing over rollers 18, 18. A downwardly 4angled :drip pan 88 is provided, its lower lip 9D extending intotray 82 to collect the drippings and return them to the frying tray 82. Fryer I6 comprises a flat kettle 82, supported within a framework 92 and having a superposed enclosure 94 Vabove the tray. Exhaust means as indicated at 95, 9B may be'provided todraw off objectionable frying odors. ent from Figs. 3 and 4, fryer component i6 extends outwardly from proofer 14. The course of movement of the conventionalv endless chain conveyor ISB at the surface of the frying kettle 82 is from the `point at which the proofed articles are immersed, lengthwise of the frying vat, toward the discharge end 92; that is, the chain conveyor moves in the direction of arrows H34, |704. A conventional turn-over mechanism iis disposed transversely of kettle 82, at the midpoint thereof, as will be readily understood.

Conveyor chains 5l), 50 and trays 52, 52, however, ymove in a direction other than'that in Vwhich the frying conveyor chains I5@ move, at

:posed within frame 92,V and an air duct H2 therefrom terminating in Va nozzle H4 resting on the edge of kettle 82directedon the'fat surface and lengthwise of the kettle. As the yeast-proofed articles are immersed in the hot fat, they will*A rise to the surface, at which point the air blast from nozzle IM will cause them to move into the path'of the transversely disposed blades of the conveyor chains loll, lD.

The rest of the operation will be obvious to one skilled in the art. It will be plain, however, that with my mechanism as a whole, it` is possible to cut doughnut shapes, support them As will be apparthrough the proofing stage so that they will bloom, and transfer them to a frying chamber for nal treatment without and difficulty or complex mechanism.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In apparatus of the character described for deep fat cooking, a former, a proofer, and a deep fat cooking kettle, the former being in communication with the proofer at one end thereof, the proofer at the other end thereof being in communication with the fryer, a carrying device adapted to support trays bearing the raw shaped articles to be cookedrfrom the former through the proofer and into the kettle, the carrying device moving downwardly towards and into the kettle, and rearwardly therefrom towards the former, means in the kettle to move the articles to be treated lengthwise thereof from the end thereof associated with the proofer to the opposite delivery end thereof, and .air blast means to move the articles to be cooked into the path of the moving means in the kettle.

2. In apparatus of the character described for deep fat cooking, a former, a proofer, and a deep fat cooking kettle, the former being in communication with the proofer at one end thereof, the proofer at the other end thereof being in communication with the fryer, a carrying device adapted to supporttrays bearing ythe raw shaped articles to be cooked from the former through the proofer and into the kettle, the carrying device moving downwardly inthe proofer at the end thereof associated with the kettle towards and into the kettle to deposit therewithin the articles to be cooked, and rearwardly therefrom towards the former, means in the kettle to move the articles to be treated lengthwise thereof from theV end thereof associated with the proofer to the opposite delivery end thereof, and means to move the articles to be cooked into the path of the moving means in the kettle, comprising an air blower directed on the kettle surface Vtowards the delivery end thereof.

3. In apparatus vof the character described for deep fat cooking, a former, a-prooiena deep fatcontaining kettle, and a carrying device for .theV articles to be cooked, the former being in communication with the proofer at one end thereof, the proofer at the other end thereof being in communication with the kettle, the carrying Adevice moving horizontallyV underneath theV former to receiveand support thereon the articles to be cooked, thence into and through the prooferand into the kettle, the path of the carrier being vertically downward inthe proofer at the end thereof associated with the kettle, towards and into the kettle below the fatilevel to deposit therewithin'the articles to be cooked,l and thence rearwardly towards the former end of the proofer,

j first means in the kettle Vto move the articles to be treated from the receiving end thereof lengthwisegof the kettle towardsthe delivery end there- 1 of, and positively operating second means independent of the last-namedV means to reverse ,the direction of movement of the deposited articles by urgingthem fromthe proofer end ofthe kettle towards thev opposite end thereof and into the path of therst means. Y

4. In apparatus as in claim 8, in which'the direction changing means comprise an air blast directed against the deposited articles.

5. In apparatus as in claim 3, in which the directionrchanging means comprise an air blast directed lengthwise of the cooker from the receiving-f end thereoftowards the delivery end.

6. In apparatus of the character described for deep fat cooking, a former, a. proofer, and a deep fat-containing cooking kettle, the former being in communication with the proofer at one end of the proofer, the kettle being in communication with the proofer at the other end thereof. a carrying device adapted to support trays bearing the raw shaped articles to be cooked from the former, through the proofer and thence into the kettle, lthe path of the carrying device at the end of the former adjacent the kettle being directed `downwardly and into the kettle to a point below the fat level therewithin and thence upwardly and out of the kettle and towards the end of the proofer adjacent the former, rst means in the kettle to move the articles to be treated lengthwise thereof from the end associated with the proofer to the opposite delivery end thereof, and positively operating second means, independent of the rst means, associated with the kettle to move the articles to be treated therein :into the path of the rst means.

HERBERT THOMAS HUNTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,055,639 Scheibel Sept. .29, 1936 2,219,410 Bradshaw Oct. 29, 1940 

